The HCSO Reserve Command is the largest sheriff's reserve organization in Texas and second nationally only to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. Other departments throughout the nation have copied the HCSO Reserve program as an effective way to increase available personnel without capital expenditures. The monetary savings of the HCSO reserve Command to Harris County totals more than $100 million over the last 40 years.

HCSO Reserve deputies have the same training, legal authority and responsibilities as full-time HCSO deputies except that they volunteer their services and are not monetarily compensated.

Reserve deputies work in all areas of the HCSO, including Patrol, Criminal Warrants, Criminal Investigations, Fugitive Transports, Tactical Medicine, and Marine Patrol, to name a few.

Approximately 200 citizens from all walks of life currently form the Harris County Sheriff's Office Reserve Command. They include engineers, mechanics, doctors, corporate managers, and lawyers. Some reservists previously worked as regular law enforcement officers and many regular deputies began their career as a reserve deputy.